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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28418904">ghosts</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lu_marii/pseuds/lu_marii'>lu_marii</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Legend of Zelda &amp; Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Fairy Hyrule (Linked Universe), Gen, Ghosts, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Loss of Identity, Near Death Experiences, Responsibility, Team as Family, Wolf Link (Legend of Zelda), always near death experiences with wild, link is .. dumb. thats it, not all of the relationship/character tags apply quite yet!, theyll all appear soon enough</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:28:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,384</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28418904</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lu_marii/pseuds/lu_marii</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>the heroes of the past remain, even if they are not quite the same. their stories ended long ago, but they'll be damned if they let wild's end anytime soon.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Four &amp; Hyrule &amp; Legend &amp; Sky &amp; Time &amp; Twilight &amp; Warriors &amp; Wild &amp; Wind (Linked Universe), Four &amp; Wild (Linked Universe), Hyrule &amp; Wild (Linked Universe), Legend &amp; Wild (Linked Universe), Link/Prince Sidon/Zelda, Sky &amp; Wild (Linked Universe), Time &amp; Wild (Linked Universe), Twilight &amp; Wild (Linked Universe), Warriors &amp; Wild (Linked Universe), Wild &amp; Wind (Linked Universe)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>185</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. beginnings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is . supposed to be 30k but im impatient and desperately want to post it so . here :) the next chapter only has to be edited and then i will set it to publish next week! and i've already written like 10k so,, yeaugh :) </p><p>anyway this? this is me, gay and sad, thinkign about the links every goddamn day. enjoy</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“<em> the ghosts swarm. </em></p><p>
  <em> they speak as one </em>
</p><p>
  <em> person. each </em>
</p><p>
  <em> loves you. each  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> has left something  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> undone.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>- rae armantrout, <em> unbidden </em></p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>there are many different ways this story is told. more often than not, the spirits are left out of it entirely - barring the wolf, who sometimes is included seeing as how he was so glued to the hero’s hip that he can rarely be left out of the tale. but the bird, the mouse, the fairy, the deer… all of them, they played such brief roles that most people who passed down tales of the hero never knew of them. but those roles, however brief, were critical. </p><p> </p><p>so here is the version where they are given the credit they ought to be given.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>before that, we should establish this: another way in which the stories differ is in where they begin. </p><p> </p><p>most start from the moment the hero woke in the shrine of resurrection. some begin the day the calamity came, others still prefer the day the hero drew the sword in front of the great deku tree. </p><p> </p><p>the hero himself? he prefers to start it here, in hateno village.</p><p> </p><p>let's imagine we are there, watching the scene: </p><p> </p><p>two children sit cross legged on a bed in a loft in a small, cozy home. the older is our hero, deceptively short and small but powerful nonetheless. blonde bangs fall in his face, and he blows it out of his eyes as he hums a little song and braids the younger’s hair. the younger is his sister, eight years old and deceptively cute and sweet. link, however, knows the truth of just how conniving the little stinker can be, and he shudders to think of it.</p><p> </p><p>she rambles to him and he listens to every word. the neighbor’s cuccos got loose again on saturday, and on sunday she got to have an extra slice of pumpkin pie for being good, and on monday she swam in the lake, and on tuesday she and the wolf went on a walk, and on wednesday she-</p><p> </p><p>outside, someone screams. link startles, eyes going wide - his gaze darts to the master sword, propped against the wall, and quickly he runs through his surroundings - he needs to protect aryll, tell her to stay here and stay quiet, and then run to the princess, who is downstairs with impa and mother - together, he and impa can surely protect aryll and mother, and perhaps the rest of the town if it’s needed-</p><p> </p><p>downstairs, mother says something that must be particularly funny, and impa and princess zelda’s giggles drift upstairs to the loft. there’s another scream and this time, link realizes there’s no danger. it’s the scream of a child playing, because it’s soon followed by loud laughter and <em> tag, you’re it!  </em></p><p> </p><p>link closes his eyes for a moment, hands shaking even as they hold locks of aryll’s hair. a deep breath, one, two, three; here is aryll, still rambling to herself, and at the foot of their bed is a sleeping wolf, snoring softly, and downstairs is impa and mother and the princess, drinking tea and gossiping. there is no calamity ganon, not yet. fate could come for him in an hour or tomorrow or in a year but it is not now, and that’s the best he can hope for: not now. </p><p> </p><p>aryll blows a raspberry, turning around to glare at him. “why’d you stop braiding?” she huffs. </p><p> </p><p>link blinks at her, then gives a soft smile. “sorry, ladybug,” he murmurs, low enough that there’s no chance of anyone but her hearing because as much as she’s been trying to learn, sign language is still not her forte, “i zoned out.” </p><p> </p><p>she is eight years old but she is smart, and her eyes flit to the master sword, to the champion’s tunic carefully folded on the night stand, to the stairs which lead to the princess. there’s a moment where her bottom lip is pulled between her teeth and her eyebrows draw low over her eyes as she thinks. then she looks back up at him and gives a big smile that’s missing one of its front teeth, and link takes a moment to capture the moment and paste it to the very front of his mind in case there’s ever a day where he can’t see her grin like this.</p><p> </p><p>then, she rises onto her knees, arms out, and he barely has a moment to react before she’s tackling him to the bed, arms wrapped around him. he laughs, bringing his hands up to her back, and for a long while she simply lays there on his chest and he lets her, even though it makes him have to work a little harder to breathe. he lets her, and he takes in every little detail (her hair smells like epona's hay and her pudgy fingers poke idly at his face and her knee digs uncomfortably into his hipbone) and he pastes it right next to the image of her smile. just in case. fuel for the day he faces ganon, he supposes. </p><p> </p><p>“i love you, link,” she mumbles against his chest. he hums back, unable to sign and not really wanting to talk, and trusts that she understands. “you’re amazing,” she continues, “my hero.” </p><p> </p><p>she always says that - <em> my </em> hero. <em> my </em>hero, in her mind, not hyrule’s. just hers, and maybe mama's or even hateno’s if she’s feeling generous. maybe others would be insulted, but he loves to hear it. </p><p> </p><p>the sword against the wall and the tunic on his nightstand and, most of all, the triforce on his hand all tell him that he is <em>hyrule’s</em> hero. <em> the </em>hero. he’s not so sure if he believes all that.</p><p> </p><p>the divine beasts have been found, the champions made their pilots, but.</p><p> </p><p>but the princess has heard nothing from hylia and her power has not come to her; but link can feel weakness in his bones, can feel failure creeping closer to him every night as the threat of calamity ganon only looms higher. </p><p> </p><p>failure is a terrible thing when it’s over something so grand, and the thought of failing here - failing what he was born to do - makes his hands shake once more against aryll’s back, makes his heart beat so fast he’s sure she can feel it. </p><p> </p><p>failure makes his throat tight and his legs weak, but he was born to be a hero. more than that, he was born to be a <em> protector. </em>he was born for aryll and mother, born for impa and zelda, born for the champions, born for hateno and kakariko and lurelin and mabe and every other village. he was born and all of hyrule was placed into his infant hands, made his to protect, and it would be a dishonor - would spit in all of hyrule’s face - to try any less than his best. </p><p> </p><p>he holds aryll a little closer. there is a chance he will fail, but he can not, he will not. not when this little girl still has a beautiful life to live, not when mipha still has a brother who has not hit ten, not when the children of hateno village laugh and play outside his door and people all across hyrule go about their wonderful lives, the threat of calamity ganon looming over all of them but their trust placed in link to save them. </p><p> </p><p>he will not fail them. he was born to fight ganon and win, and fight ganon and win he will do. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>but as you know, things do not always go as planned. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>most stories chalk link’s survival  up to the shrine of resurrection. link is not so sure. </p><p> </p><p>he trusts in the sheikah’s technical prowess, and is sure the shrine played a part. but, he thinks part of his survival was in this: </p><p> </p><p>in a wolf sleeping outside his shrine, an eagle circling over the great plateau. in a shadow and a mouse speaking with the minish and telling them the hero would soon return. in two rabbits and a seagull playing on the beach, their love strong enough that it could be felt on the plateau hundreds of miles away. in a fairy flitting about a fountain and weaving magic into passing travelers’ hair. in an otter, a doe, and a stag having a quiet conversation amongst themselves, recounting ancient memories of millennia past. in an old man sitting in the middle of the ruins of a ranch, playing a song on his ocarina before looking to the sky and thinking, <em> how much longer, now?  </em></p><p> </p><p>it was in this, too: zelda’s voice calling out to him for a hundred years. in the champions’ desperation, trapped in their beasts, shouting for help so loudly no one could hear. in the spirits of all those who had trusted in him lost to ganon’s hatred. in his sister and his mother’s unmarked graves. in the cautious hopes of those alive now who waited a century for his return. </p><p> </p><p>it was not all the sheikah's science. it was hyrule itself and all the people who make it, in their love and hope and the very fact that they needed him to return. </p><p> </p><p>the people ask, the hero complies. </p><p> </p><p>link knows little when he wakes up. he doesn’t know his name or his home, doesn’t know how to form the sounds others’ make to communicate, doesn’t know how to fish or to hunt, and certainly doesn’t know anything resembling proper manners. </p><p> </p><p>but the knowledge of how to properly pull a bowstring and swing a sword still dances under his fingertips a century later, and there is good reason for that.  </p><p> </p><p>he was born to fight, to protect, to win. to do right by his beautiful land. hyrule loves him, hyrule places its hope in him, and by hylia, he will honor it. </p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>so many stories leave out those who helped him along the way. </p><p> </p><p>a powerful boy, but a small and somewhat stupid one nonetheless, waking up half naked with no knowledge of how to communicate or hunt or <em>walk. </em>despite this, far too many think he just got by on his own. </p><p> </p><p>no, no - there’s nothing wrong with accepting help once in a while, you know. a powerful boy, an amazing boy, and a boy who certainly had quite a bit of help from those who loved him. </p><p> </p><p>when the hero himself recounts the story, he laughs and says he can’t count on two hands how many times he would have died without another’s intervention. what a hyrule this would be, without the new champions, or the stable merchants, or the generous townsfolk, or - of course - the spirits.</p><p> </p><p>the spirits' stories ended long ago, but they'll be damned if they let his end early.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. friends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>a wolf, an eagle, a shadow, a mouse. </p><p>they love him, but they are not glad to see him. they know what seeing him means for him.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>fuck it two chapters in one day. i'm too impatient to sit on this until next week so ... here</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>the boy steps out of the shrine. </p><p> </p><p>bleary-eyed, the wolf lifts his head. overhead, an eagle sings its song. miles away, an old man pulls his ocarina from his mouth and smiles in a way that is sad and incomprehensible to a normal mortal being’s eyes. all across hyrule, spirits startle as a familiar energy thrums through the land once more.</p><p> </p><p>he’s awake. they love him, but they wish he could sleep a little longer. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>when he tells the story later, the hero flushes and mutters that it’s a bit embarrassing that he barely made it a minute before someone had to save him. </p><p> </p><p>the wolf awaits him outside the cave he woke in. he stumbles out, dazed and disoriented, dressed in tattered, ill fitting clothes. he doesn’t notice the wolf at first; on legs of a newborn calf he makes it precariously close to the edge of the cliff and gazes out, awe filled, over the world before him. </p><p> </p><p>his eyes flick over the infected castle for only a moment. he is something close to an adult physically, but in his mind a strange mixture of a toddler and something older, and toddlers, of course, don’t know fear. like a two year old staring into the eyes of god, he looks at the malice swirling around hyrule castle and sees nothing too special. after all, he doesn’t know it’s not supposed to be there. to him, it stands only as yet another of the countless awe-worthy sights. he barely notices how threateningly the castle stands against the backdrop of rolling hills, of snow white mountains, of a looming volcano. </p><p> </p><p>as he looks over the landscape he feels like a pilgrim setting eyes on a holy site; this, here, the wonderful expanse of the world, is his first sight, the first thing he lays eyes on, like a newborn baby opening their eyes to their mother’s loving face, and vaguely he feels that it is some kind of poetry. in his unabashed awe he takes another step forward, reaching out as though he could, in this moment, touch every inch of land before him- </p><p> </p><p>and he stumbles. </p><p> </p><p>he shouts, arms windmilling in an almost comical fashion in a desperate attempt to find his balance. as he teeters over the edge his wide eyes, nearly popping out of his head, meet those of the bokoblins below. </p><p> </p><p>oh, hylia (<em> who’s hylia? </em> he asks in the back of his mind), he’s going to fall to his death not moments after waking up, and if he doesn’t die on impact he’s going to be beaten to death by some fucking <em> bokoblins, </em> and he doesn’t know much but he knows he shouldn’t be dying to <em> fucking bokoblins- </em></p><p> </p><p>and, like a miracle, the wind pushes up. </p><p> </p><p>he doesn’t think wind is supposed to do that. there’s nothing below him that could be pushing the air up. but it does, pushing against his chest hard enough that even when both feet finally fall off the cliff’s edge he hovers there for a second. </p><p> </p><p>a brilliant red eagle soars above. it gives a cry that sounds like a greeting in the back of his mind - he doesn’t know the word even though he thinks he should, but knows the connotation. he doesn’t look up or wave back, though, too busy focusing on the fact that he is hovering in midair, only one tippy-toe on the very edge of the cliff. </p><p> </p><p>he stares down at the bokoblins. they stare back up at him, shouting gibberish and waving their clubs at him. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> huh.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>he’s pretty sure this is not normal at all, but then, he doesn’t know much of anything. for all he knows this could be a completely normal occurrence. </p><p> </p><p>before he has too long to ponder on this oddity (or not oddity, what does he know), something tugs on the end of his trousers. he falls back onto the grass and is met with the sharp blue eyes of a wolf. </p><p> </p><p>the falling scared him (he could recognize easily the danger in that), but like the castle, he sees no danger in the wolf’s eyes where we would. instead, he sees a bit of concern, joy, and something else link doesn’t know the name of.</p><p> </p><p>and then there is something in the back of link’s head. he <em> knows </em>something - what does he know? the thinking makes his head hurt, though, so he stops. </p><p> </p><p>he blinks at the wolf, and it huffs at him in a way that, if it were hylian rather than wolf, would sound like some mixture of bemusement and fond exasperation. </p><p> </p><p><em> thank you, </em>link tries to say, but instead gets only a grunt that sort of rhymes with the words he intended. even this makes his hoarse throat hurt. he furrows his eyebrows and tries again to say it, then again, and neither time does it work - frustration rises in his chest as his hands fist in the grass, face growing red with anger - </p><p> </p><p>soft fur brushes against his face. he starts out of his frustration, going tense for a moment as the wolf presses close to him. this is called <em> touch </em> , he thinks. then his mind works a moment before coming up with <em> soft, fur </em>.  for a moment he is quite overwhelmed by the feeling of fur all against his face and body. but it is not long before he grows accustomed to it - something about it tugs at the back of his mind like before. </p><p> </p><p>tentatively, he fists two hands in the thick locks. the wolf’s snout brushes against his cheek as if in approval and, slowly, link begins to pet it. his anger melts away. </p><p> </p><p><em> friends? </em>is what he tries to say. this time when it comes out gibberish he doesn’t grow angry. or rather, he does grow angry, but he quickly calms himself. he tries once more, and when that fails as well he lifts his hands and makes a gesture that he somehow knows in his bones is synonymous with the word he wants to say. this, for some reason, feels even more natural than speaking aloud. </p><p> </p><p>he doesn’t quite expect the wolf to understand the gesture. but its eyes hold recognition, and when he finishes, it gives a nod. </p><p> </p><p>link grins. his first friend in this beautiful world. </p><p> </p><p>(later, he tells the eagle this. the eagle huffs and says, <em> rude, i saved you first, didn’t i? </em>but it’s with a gentle smile and nothing but love.) </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>later that night, the boy is focused on a fire outside the temple of time, poking at it with a stick. behind him, the eagle touches down and shakes the wind out of brilliant red feathers. the wolf glares at him, huffs, then rises onto his paws and trots forward. the boy does not notice. </p><p> </p><p><em> what are you doing here? </em>he asks, exasperated but not angry. </p><p> </p><p>the eagle tilts his head, focusing on him with one eye. <em> we’re all here.  </em></p><p> </p><p>the wolf bristles, his fur standing on end. <em> farore will have all our heads! </em>he says, eyes rising to the sky as though the goddess in question will descend from the clouds any second. for all he knows, she might. </p><p> </p><p><em> she will not, </em> the eagle reassures, <em> she would have had your head a few centuries ago if she had any intention of that.  </em></p><p> </p><p>the wolf paws at his own snout nervously. <em> all of us here, </em> he pushes, <em> she only gave me permission to help him! and - when you say all -  </em></p><p> </p><p>the eagle smiles - not physically, but into the wolf’s mind, who after so long has gotten used to the feeling. it is gentle and kind in the same way it was when the eagle was hundreds of millennia younger, the warm grin unchanged by the sandpaper of time. </p><p> </p><p>(not that time. time as in the concept. we’ll get to the other one soon enough, don’t worry.) </p><p> </p><p><em> all, </em> the eagle echoes. <em> all of us, war’s sister, the shadow, legend’s merchant and singer… </em></p><p> </p><p>the wolf makes an exasperated noise in the back of his throat the same way he would if he were in the form of him-age-nineteen, and as a wolf it comes out like a strange whine. as the boy turns - or rather, more like whips around, and the wolf is a little sad at that paranoia that he knows will never go away - the eagle disappears. as in, he simply shimmers out of the boy’s sight, although the wolf’s keen eyes can still spot him. </p><p> </p><p>the boy grunts, a crude attempt at <em> what? </em>the wolf shakes his head, then nods to the fire, and the boy blinks at him, shrugs, then turns back to poking the flames. </p><p> </p><p>the eagle remains out of the boy’s sight. <em> i knew he woke up with no memories, </em> he says, watching the boy curiously, <em> but i didn’t realize-  </em></p><p> </p><p><em> i know, </em>the wolf sighs sadly. </p><p> </p><p>then they are silent. they look at the boy and for a moment are millennia younger as they reminisce on times that were simultaneously much simpler and much worse. </p><p> </p><p>finally, the eagle breaks the silence. <em> have you managed to speak with him yet?  </em></p><p> </p><p>the wolf averts his eyes. </p><p> </p><p>the eagle squawks a laugh that luckily the boy can’t hear, seeing as how he shifted himself into a different plane of reality. <em> eleven thousand years-  </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> i know-!  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> eleven thousand years and still, you can’t talk to the living-  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> come on, man-  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>the eagle shakes his head. <em> don’t worry about it, </em> he says. <em> it’s not as if you’ve had many you tried hard to speak with. wild, though-  </em></p><p> </p><p>the wolf glares. <em> don’t start-  </em></p><p> </p><p>nonetheless, the eagle continues. <em> knowing how you are with him, you’re probably going to be trying to speak with him every second of every day, hm?  </em></p><p> </p><p>the wolf is too prideful to admit that he already has been doing that all day. somehow, the eagle knows - he always knows. </p><p> </p><p><em> i’ll leave you to it, </em> the eagle says. he gives only a low bow, but it feels like a tight hug, and twilight gives a bow-hug back. <em> be safe.  </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> and you.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>the eagle soars away, love falling from every flap of his wings like pollen from leaves. it scatters across the land as he flies. </p><p> </p><p>this land he founded is a little shattered right now, he thinks. but there is a similarly shattered boy sitting by a fire in the center of it all, and the eagle knows his faith is well placed.  </p><p> </p><p>the wolf watches him fly away. then he turns, trots back to the boy, and keeps trying to speak. </p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>finally, the wolf manages to push through this: the general feeling of content when the boy leans against his side that evening to sleep. </p><p> </p><p>link startles awake, staring down at the wolf with wide eyes. it blinks back up at him, then processes, and its eyes go wide as well. they stare at each other, two idiots on a plateau, before link gives that vague grunt that means, <em> what? </em>he uses that grunt a lot. </p><p> </p><p>that contentedness had been projected into his mind, felt almost as though it was his own - for a moment he didn’t even recognize it with the way it mingled with his own comfort, but there was something… fuzzier about the wolf’s emotion. </p><p> </p><p>the wolf grins, baring sharp fangs that should scare link but don’t. it concentrates a moment and then pushes through two words: <em> i - talk.  </em></p><p> </p><p>“not well,” link signs. </p><p> </p><p>a long moment of silence. then, muffled and choppy, <em> hy-pocrite.  </em></p><p> </p><p>link huffs a laugh. then he doesn’t know what else to say, and it seems the wolf doesn’t either, and they are both content to return to laying against each other in front of the dilapidated temple of time. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>the next day comes the tower, a bit of an explanation, and a shrine. </p><p> </p><p>the next day comes the princess’s voice again, comes the word calamity, comes bile in link’s throat as once more he looks at the castle but this time almost, <em> almost, </em>understands. once more he looks at the castle and remembers everything and absolutely nothing. </p><p> </p><p>a shrine, for a paraglider, for getting off the plateau, for defeating the calamity. </p><p> </p><p>this is all he knows, so he supposes it’s what he will do. </p><p> </p><hr/><p><br/>(the wolf takes much pleasure in barking and howling and growling at the old man. the old man glares, seeing right through his disguise to the spirit behind it, but he can say nothing without fear of offending his <em> beloved </em>hero and sending him off the path he’s set for him.) </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>the sun is setting over the great plateau. bokoblins settle around the fire as keese wake from their slumber - and a grumpy hylian boy stomps through the grass with a petulant child’s pout.</p><p> </p><p>the old man promised a paraglider after he found the treasure in one - <em> one! - </em> shrine. now he has to find <em> three </em> more. doesn’t that old man know he has a <em> world </em> to save?! (or, at least, that’s what the strange voice at the top of the tower had told him.)</p><p> </p><p>link grumbles something to himself (it doesn’t quite make sense but the emotion is there and that’s what matters). the wolf snorts and bumps his leg, then offers the word <em> toddler. </em></p><p> </p><p>“quiet,” link signs. the wolf rolls its eyes but with it comes a wave of fondness that makes link’s lips quirk up. </p><p> </p><p>his sheikah slate says the shrine he’s approaching is in a place called eastern abbey. like everything on the plateau, it’s nothing but ruins, a few crumbling walls of what could have once been a beautiful and holy place. link steps into the abbey, one of his hands trailing over the cool mossy stone, then hangs a left towards the shrine. he stops to loot one of the big metal husks - he’d found some odds and ends in the similar husks back at the temple of time. </p><p> </p><p>as he rifles around, his hands getting thoroughly covered in mud and century old oil, he doesn’t register the beeping sound. after all, he’s only got one working ear - one's half torn off, to match the web of gnarled scars along his left side. </p><p> </p><p>but then the wolf starts to bark. <em>danger, danger! </em></p><p> </p><p>link startles, his head whipping up. for a moment he can only stare in confused shock at one of the other metal shells, which glows with that same ugly purple as the castle. a red dot is level with link’s chest as it gathers its energy for - <em> what </em>? </p><p> </p><p>link doesn’t think he wants to find out. suddenly, he remembers a dozen cuss words that had previously evaded his memory.</p><p> </p><p>the wolf barks again, snapping him out of his daze, and he scrambles to the wall separating him and the shrine. he’s dismayed to find that by the time he gets there he’s already out of breath, heart beating like a rabbit’s paws against his ribs. he claws desperately at the stone as he tries to climb, but hylia <em> damn him </em>he has no stamina at all - he keeps trying to climb even as he hears the guardian let its energy go; in the periphery of his one working eye he can see the bright light and he steels himself for impact -</p><p> </p><p>the world goes dark. but his eyes aren’t closed, and he’s still very much alive.</p><p> </p><p>everything around him falls into shadows. the guardian’s beeping noises stop - it sounds like the cursed thing <em> explodes.  </em></p><p> </p><p>swallowing, link turns. </p><p> </p><p>the shadows have - they’ve <em> congealed </em>, into a sort of opaque dome around him and the wolf. link gapes as he watches them melt back into the ground, leaving behind the hazy form of a boy. he’s blurry at the edges, and every couple seconds he flickers, turning into two boys or three or none at all before solidifying back into himself. one eye is hidden behind spiky purple bangs, and the visible one looks at him with a hard expression link can’t place. </p><p> </p><p>he can only stare in dumb silence as he watches a mouse jump up onto the boy’s shoulder. the wolf barks at the mouse. (the wolf gives off a rush of joy and love and <em> family, friend, family, family! </em> but there’s a side of something a little more bitter - anger? no - exasperation? <em> fear? </em>if the wolf is afraid, should link be afraid?) the mouse chitters back. </p><p> </p><p>“are you okay?” the boy asks. at link’s dumb nod, he lifts his hand to point over the wall. “good! then go to your shrine!” </p><p> </p><p>link, still in a state of stupid confusion, can do nothing but follow orders. (again, something tugging at the back of his mind.) he pulls himself over the wall and, on numb legs, approaches the shrine. </p><p> </p><p>he is very careful to watch the shadows for nights after.</p><p> </p><p>(later, when he asks the wolf, all he gets is, <em> friends. </em> </p><p><br/>when pushed, he gets, <em> your friends, too.</em>)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i hope you enjoyed!! please consider leaving a comment if you did, they make a writer's day! </p><p>in case u could not tell !!! wolf = twi ofc, eagle = sky, shadow =,,,, shadow, mouse = four :) </p><p>next chapter: kakariko, hateno, two deer, and a fairy.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. compass</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>don't take compasses from random girls in the woods in real life, kids.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HI this chapter was. supposed to be about roolie . but then i spent way too long talking about linkle so ,,,, linke content:) i PROMIE next chapter is roolie's chapter ok I PROMISE</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>link stands on the edge of the great plateau, feet shifting nervously on the top of the crumbling stone walls. he runs his hands nervously up and down the paraglider's smooth handles. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>the wolf sits next to him, looking out over the landscape. below them, fog swirls, making it impossible to see the long drop. further out, two mountains rise and nearly connect. beyond them sits the next step towards his destiny. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>the old man - the king - had told him as much, at least. kakariko village holds impa holds direction holds defeating ganon holds answers, maybe. answers would be nice. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>answers to questions he doesn’t think most have to ask - answers to </span>
  <em>
    <span>what’s my last name, what did my mother look like, did i even have a mother, where did i live, how old am i exactly, what number comes after ten? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>no, really, he can’t count past ten. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>he can’t count past ten, but he can sort of swing a sword and intends to kill calamity ganon. amazing. terrible. he’s going to die. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>his eyes flick to the castle. he rips them away before they can settle there. it’s only been a day since he learned what that awful stuff is swirling around the castle but now the sight of it makes him want to vomit. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>kakariko. focus on kakariko, then focus on impa. don’t worry about the rest yet. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(impa, impa, impa - who </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> impa? does he know impa? something says yes, something says friend, but something says it in whispers and leaves before he can ask it to say more.) </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>the wolf nudges his leg with his snout like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>you gonna go? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>they already established, through a frustrating bout of choppy sign language, grunts, gestures, and three word sentences projected directly into link’s head, that the wolf can teleport (?) and will be able to meet link later on and no, really, he promises, it’s not a big deal that link is leaving him on the plateau. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>link has seen a lot in his incredibly short life (three days!), but he is not sure if wolves can teleport. but then, he is not sure wolves can understand speech or project emotions directly into peoples’ heads but yet, here they are. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>link huffs back at him to say, </span>
  <em>
    <span>hold your horses. </span>
  </em>
  <span>the wolf rolls his eyes, but says nothing more as link takes another moment to stare out at the world.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>kakariko. impa. directions. defeat ganon. answers. not necessarily in that order. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>he takes a deep breath, nods to the wolf, takes one step back, and three big steps forward. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>he flies. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(if he was anyone else, the wind would have naturally pushed him off course that day. but an eagle soars above him, and he makes sure the wind is at his back.) </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>link quite likes this exploring thing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>much as he wanted to, he didn’t have much time to do it when he was on the great plateau. he had shrines to get treasure from and a wolf who nudged him back on track every time he wandered. but now he’s on his own and it’s not like he has to get to kakariko as soon as physically possible, is it? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>theoretically, he means to head towards kakariko immediately - the paragliding hadn’t gotten him all the way there, of course. but his eye keeps getting caught on interesting things, be they sparkly things half buried in the dirt or strange rocks or bright orange shrines, and if it weren’t for the slate he’d be very, very lost. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>it’s been a hundred years. what’s a couple extra hours of exploring? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>which is how he ends up meeting the traveler. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>he’s been taking his sweet time meandering down the path towards kakariko. he hasn’t even passed under the dueling peaks yet. his feet are bare, boots long abandoned into his shrine in favor of feeling the earth's hum. he digs his a little deeper into the earth as he stares up at the tower across the water, squinting to see its top. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>sighing, he starts pulling off his shirt - swim time! </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(sure, he could cryonis, but that’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>so cold </span>
  </em>
  <span>and he refuses to put his shoes back on if it isn’t strictly necessary, thank you very much.) </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>he shuffles towards the water, stretching his skinny arms above him. well, they’re starting to build some muscle after a hundred years of rest, at least. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>his toes hit cold water, the moon reflecting back up at him as he looks down at it. this is going to be cold, too, so clearly his decision making isn’t very good. he takes a deep breath, one, two, three, just jump in and face the music, link-! </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>someone screams. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>link whirls around, eyes wide, and his gaze lands on a plume of smoke just up the hill behind him. he picks up his shirt off the ground as he darts towards it, stumbling through the loose riverbank gravel. by the time he hits dirt he’s managed to pull his shirt back on, albeit backwards, and not a second later he’s pulled a rusty broadsword out of the slate. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>as he turns the corner at the top of the hill he finds a girl maybe his age, whatever that age </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span>, backed into a tree by a couple stalkoblins. her crossbows (cool!) are sitting right there against the log next to the fire, so the stals must have popped up when she was disarmed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>without inhibition he charges, a roar on his lips. his vision narrows on the stals and his mind feels just a little clearer in that way it always does when he’s going into combat. some muscle memory takes hold of him and he is swinging his sword clean through bone, then stabbing it into the skull that’s fallen into the grass before the thing can reassemble. the second his sword is pulled free he whirls on the other one and it’s down in just the same quick, merciless way. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>he almost mourns the loss of the brief euphoria when it goes. there’s always a moment of rightness, when he feels a sword’s weight in his hands or a bowstring at his fingertips; a moment where he is not himself but </span>
  <em>
    <span>the hero</span>
  </em>
  <span>; every man the hero has ever been, condensed down into a few seconds of deadly focus on protecting hyrule. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>that is his purpose, after all. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“thank you,” the girl is saying when he finally comes back to reality. from the look of her she’s said it a few times now. she’s got big, wide eyes and long blonde braids hanging in front of her face; link’s eyes are caught by the glittering gold compass hanging off her neck. “thank you, thank you!” she adds a couple extra times for emphasis. she scoops hos hands up with hers and he flinches back, snatching his hands away, a noise like a wounded animal in the back of his throat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>he freezes, but she doesn’t seem to care. instead, she just keeps on rambling. “oh, i was </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>scared and you </span>
  <em>
    <span>saved my life, thank you-!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” when she speaks she gives big, exaggerated gestures with her hands, throwing them high into the air for added emphasis. a grin makes link’s lips twitch as he follows them, then lets his gaze flick down to her overly expressive face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>this is only the second person he’s met, he realizes vaguely, because the shadow and the wolf don’t count. maybe she's the first, if dead kings don't count, either. he’s not sure what he’s supposed to do. it’s not as if he's had many opportunities to practice manners. but still, excitement rises in him at the thought of someone new. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“welcome,” he says. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>her grin is wide and missing a tooth. she does this strange skip-twirl away from him, but it’s not as if she’s trying to get </span>
  <em>
    <span>away </span>
  </em>
  <span>from him - she’s just full of energy. “i was lost,” she says, “and it started getting dark, so i came up here and made a fire. you know, it’s just that i’ve only been travelling on my own a little while, usually i’m with my brother, so i’m not really sure what i’m doing-!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>link ponders a moment what’s polite, and decides not to mention the sign down the hill yet that conveniently points towards the nearest stable. instead he follows her when she gestures for him to, and ends up hovering awkwardly next to her as she sits next to the fire. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“what’s your name?” she asks, “why are you out here on your own? are you hungry? thanks again!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>link is starting to get a little overwhelmed by all this talk, but there’s also something nice about it. something beyond the novelty of someone new, something familiar and lovely that he can’t quite put his finger on. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“link,” he says as he hesitantly seats himself, “exploring. yes. welcome.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“nice to meet you, link, i’m link</span>
  <em>
    <span>le! </span>
  </em>
  <span>isn’t that funny! and lucky for you, i’m cooking!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>he spares a glance towards whatever’s stewing in her cooking pot, and promptly thinks, </span>
  <em>
    <span>huh. </span>
  </em>
  <span>he’s not exactly a picky eater (and here are vague memories of rocks, for some reason) but… </span>
  <em>
    <span>huh.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“uhm,” he says, then pauses a moment to find the right words, to prepare them in his mouth so they come out properly. she looks to him but doesn’t prod him on, which he appreciates, instead waiting patiently for him to continue. “can i cook? you’re bad.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>he doesn’t think that’s proper manners. oops. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>but she doesn’t seem upset. instead she grins and hands him the ladle. “oh, i’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>awful. </span>
  </em>
  <span>go for it, link.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>he uses his new muscle to dump the heavy iron pot’s contents into the grass. then, he gets to work on his own concoction. he appreciates that she lets him fall into silence, letting him cook as she fills the air with her own chatter. again, memories prodding at the back of his mind. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>she rambles on about her brother (warriors, lives in hateno, apparently he’s “tall and an idiot and very smart and awful and amazing and you should totally find him if you make your way to the village”) and her compass (an artifact passed down through her family meant for the hero, which certainly draws his attention) and whatever else catches her fancy, like how much she hates stals and loves the birds flying by and oh, isn’t the moon pretty tonight, almost full? he listens to every word because he is interested, really, and watches the bubbles pop on his stew. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>finally, the stew finishes cooking. she gives him a million compliments that make his face heat red before they fall into an actual silence, the only noise the clinking of wooden spoons against bowls. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>when they finish, she says, “link?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>he meets her eyes and here link finds something unsettlingly ethereal. when he says ethereal, he means it - the same look in the wolf or the king’s eyes. his shoulders go tense. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>there’s a long pause. his breath slows, his hand, still holding the spoon, stalls over the bowl. leaves rustle. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>quietly and deadly serious, she says, “this stew is fucking amazing.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>at link’s blink she cackles, doubling over herself, and hesitantly he starts to laugh, too, nervous chuckles bubbling up his throat every few seconds like popcorn over the fire. linkle stands and drops one hand into his hair as she walks past, and this time he doesn’t flinch away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“i totally got you!” she laughs, “ah, classic.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>then she promptly collapses onto her already unrolled bedroll and begins to snore. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>link’s laughter dies, replaced by a moment of genuine concern at how quickly she’d fallen asleep. then he shrugs, rolls off the log into the dirt, and drifts off to sleep as well. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>when he wakes, linkle is gone. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>all that remains is the smoldering ashes of the fire and a golden compass. he picks it up and hangs it around his neck, then takes another moment to glance around and make sure he hadn’t missed any notes, any signs of struggle. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>when he finds none, he continues toward the tower. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>at the dueling peaks stable, link finds the wolf. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>he’s taken over one of the stable beds, sleeping serenely as the stablemaster watches him warily from the counter. other travelers are huddled outside, discussing a course of action as they glance in at the wolf. link sighs as he watches one man’s hand hover over the hilt of his sword. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>link’s been climbing towers and walking and fighting for</span>
  <em>
    <span> hours. </span>
  </em>
  <span>he is </span>
  <em>
    <span>far </span>
  </em>
  <span>too tired to deal with this. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>he stomps past the gaggle of frantic travelers. the wolf raises his head and blinks blearily at him as he stops at the side of the bed. link waves, then gives a wide gesture to the gaping audience behind him. the wolf moves his shoulders in a way that link thinks is meant to be a shrug. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“uh-” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>link turns to the stablemaster, expression dead tired; that paired with the gnarled scars and one milky white eye must be a sight, and the stablemaster takes half a step back. link raises his eyebrows to say, </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>the stablemaster flounders for a moment. “uh - is this your… dog?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“not </span>
  <em>
    <span>mine</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” link signs</span>
  <em>
    <span>, </span>
  </em>
  <span>“wolf. my friend.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>the stablemaster blinks at him. “i’m sorry?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>link sighs. so apparently not everyone understands the sign language thing. this may soon get frustrating. he points to himself, then the wolf, then gives a thumbs up paired with a strained grin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“oh - okay! you know, he frightened us a little, but - uh…” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>the stablemaster trails off as link points aggressively back over his own shoulder at the bed. “sleep,” he mouths. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“well - how rude!” the stablemaster huffs. he holds out his hand.“that’ll be twenty rupees, thank you!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>link, perplexed, turns back to the wolf and signs, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>rupees</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>ten minutes later finds link and the wolf curled up together outside by the fire. link shivers, burying his face against the wolf’s fur. nearby a man mutters to himself about the moon, sounding slightly unhinged, and link eyes him warily over the wolf’s back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>link tries to relax with the warmth of the fire and the wolf’s soft fur, but the last few days’ events (or in other words, his entire life) keep him up. he worries about linkle, and it almost serves as a distraction from his much greater worries about the whole apocalypse thing he has to deal with. he sighs against the wolf’s fur, then lays back against the dirt, tangled hair fanned out around him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>the wolf noses at the shiny new compass, which is unnaturally warm against his chest. link huffs as he looks down at it. “met someone,” he signs. “nice.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>the wolf doesn’t move far from the compass, instead letting his head rest on link’s chest so he can peer at him with one eye. he offers the image of linkle - linkle exactly as she’d looked, although maybe her hair's a bit longer. her hand is in someone else’s, but whoever it is is blurry in the periphery of the image. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“how-” he signs, but the puzzle pieces lock into place as his gaze lands on the wolf’s blue eye, just as otherworldly as linkle’s or the shadow’s had been. “like you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>friend, </span>
  </em>
  <span>the wolf confirms.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hello !!! i hope u enjoyed, please let a comment and lmk if u did !!! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. fairies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>link finds a fairy fountain.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>roolie time roolie time roolie time</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>in the morning, link takes it upon himself to catch a horse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>he wades through the field of husks, eyeing them warily in case any of them come back to life like the one on the great plateau had. crouching low, he stalks a horse, it’s mane a glittering obsidian black in the sunlight. it shakes its head as it whinnies before bowing it low to the grass to eat, and link takes advantage of its distraction to mount it, holding tight to its mane as it bucks and thrashes. he grins even as it feels like his entire body is jello, his brain shaking inside his skull and his eyes popping, he holds tighter- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>and finds himself flat on his back with a horse sprinting away from him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>he huffs, blowing grass out of his mouth. then he tries again, this time with a caramel brown horse that promptly knocks him back into the dirt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>he pouts as he sits up, crossing his arms over his chest. the wolf sidles up to him, tilting his head at him like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>told you. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“shut up!” he says, the force still behind it even with how difficult it is to choke out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>gentle, </span>
  </em>
  <span>the wolf impresses, then pushes forward the feeling of fear. the image of the horse. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>link sticks out his tongue at him even though he’s right. then he pushes himself back up onto his feet and finds another horse. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>this one is blue, it’s mane white, and he stalks it patiently as he waits for the right moment. he enjoys this one’s unique coloring and he’d hate to lose it. when he finally finds the right moment he charges, jumping onto its back, but this time he (begrudgingly) begins to soothe it rather than just hold tight and pull its mane. he runs his hand along its smooth coat, cooing in a way that he hopes is comforting. it bucks for a while and he has to hold like hell to stay on but finally, </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally, </span>
  </em>
  <span>it begins to settle down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>pride fills his chest and he grins, finding the wolf's eyes. his muzzle pulls back in a toothy grin to match his own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>his joy at finding the horse, though, is dampened when he looks past the wolf to the path to kakariko.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>kakariko village finds him a message from princess zelda herself. he must free the four divine beasts. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>as impa speaks, telling him about the beasts and purah and his memories and what happened ten thousand years ago, her words reverberate in his ears. past the vague sense that he knows her and the disgruntlement that comes along with it, there is a guilt eating away at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>he is quick to leave the house when their conversation ends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ah, so you’ve finally returned, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she’d said, and it was like she was looking into his mind. like she found the days he’d spent exploring, wandering around on his own, avoiding this next step towards his destiny. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>his hands feel clammy as they rub nervously at his face. the wolf joins him at the bottom of impa’s steps and noses at his leg, looking up at him with concern. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>he wants to go explore the hills behind impa’s house. he wants to swim around in the lake. he wants to talk to every person around and learn their life stories. he wants to go and collect crickets and mushrooms and apples. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>but does he need to? is there any purpose in that? he has a purpose to fulfill, he has only one role on this earth, and none of that is it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>he focuses on the shrine up the hill. that, at least, is a distraction that is a step towards defeating ganon. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>and it is a good distraction - the monk inside teaches him to flurry rush, to parry, to do all sorts of things link wishes he’d known before. he comes out of the shrine feeling a bit more confident, that previous guilt washed away somewhat, his chest puffed up. the wolf stands from where he’d been resting next to the shrine and link smiles down at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>then, his ear catches on something peculiar. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>it’s a song, he thinks. he tilts his head, his good eye trying to locate it. behind him - the forest? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>he looks down to the wolf, and the wolf looks back up at him and shrugs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>well, maybe this distraction will serve as a step towards destiny, too. </span>
  <span>they make their way into the forest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>as they walk in deeper, the cool shade of the trees makes for sweet relief from the harsh sun. link stops and tilts his head back for a moment with his eyes shut, listening to the chirping of birds, feeling the hum of life under his feet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>he and the wolf both startle as leaves rustle nearby, hand shooting to the hilt of his sword. but it’s not a monster that comes out of the bushes. it’s a… </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>it’s small and blue and a little wispy, two little deer antlers on its head. their eyes meet and the thing freezes in place for a moment, rising on its hind legs. it tilts its head and link has the funny feeling he’s being examined, seen through, before it darts into the trees. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>link stands there for a long moment. everyday he encounters new spirits or fairies or </span>
  <em>
    <span>whatever</span>
  </em>
  <span> they are that seem far too interested in </span>
  <em>
    <span>him, </span>
  </em>
  <span>personally, and he’s starting to gather this isn’t a normal thing for other hylians. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>oh, well. he supposes it’s not the strangest part of his life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>he continues on down the path, that ethereal song mixing with jingle-bell laughter as… something comes into sight. a big, closed flower, petals and leaves around it, nestled in a small pond. little fairies darting about, fleeing as he steps closer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>it’s yet another on the list of gorgeous things in this world.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>he steps cautiously into the little clearing, the toes of his boots hitting the shallow water. he tries to move slowly but still the fairies scatter, their jingle-bell giggles turning into tiny squeaks as they disappear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>all of them but one. link doesn’t notice it at first; it’s close to the ground, and it shines a dull green rather than the bright blue of its peers. it’s not until he goes to step forward and the thing shrieks as it falls off the top of his boot, which he hadn’t realized it had climbed on top of. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>link blinks down at it. it shakes its tiny fist, squeaking at it with rage, before clambering back onto his foot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>hey! </span>
  </em>
  <span>it huffs in his mind, sort of like the wolf. link huffs back. it’s only now link realizes the wolf has fallen back, waiting at the entrance of the clearing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>watch where you’re going, please, </span>
  </em>
  <span>it says, gentler this time. link matches its gentleness with a smile down at it, then tilts his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“off?” he asks, and for clarification adds, “walk.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>the fairy slides off and meanders off into the grass. how strange, he thinks, and spends a moment wondering after its lack of wings but otherwise doesn’t spare it a thought. he’s too enraptured by the sight of the flower, its song drawing him closer and closer still until he’s stepping onto one of the large petals and reaching out his fingers to brush against the bloom. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>somehow, he doesn’t find it strange when a giant, bedangled hand reaches out of the bloom. its pointed, perfectly painted nails shine as it twists its fingers, beckoning. A woman’s voice requests rupees to restore her power. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>link furrows his eyebrows as he listens to the voice’s tale, turning to the wolf for his guidance; the wolf’s face is half buried in the grass, the wingless fairy standing at the tip of his snout, and it almost looks like they’re talking. but it’s like the wolf can feel his eyes on him, and he looks up to link and nods. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>gritting his teeth, link summons his hundred rupees out of the slate and hesitates only a second before placing them in the beckoning hand. he winces even as he sets them in the palm - only a couple dozen left in his inventory, now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>the flower opens and the fairy comes twirling out in a grand production, arms outstretched and nearly hitting link in the goddessdamned face. he wrinkles his nose against the water that splashes against his face as she comes up; it smells unnaturally sweet, like sugar water, and he hopes it won’t be sticky. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“ah…” she coos, settling on the edge of her fountain, giant face in giant hand. she gives him a look that makes a flush creep up his neck, and he takes a tentative step back. “thank you for the help, hero. now…” one finger circles in front of his torso. he swallows. her very pointy nails could very easily stab him to death, he thinks. “i could improve your clothes a bit, if you had any bokoblin horns for me?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>link blinks. he sold them all, in fact, to get those hundred rupees which he had </span>
  <em>
    <span>intended </span>
  </em>
  <span>to spend on milk and butter at the general store but here he is. he grimaces and shakes his head. she sighs, head falling deeper into her hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“well then hero, i can’t help. come back when you do, yes?” and it looks like she’s about to descend back into her fountain (how does she not drown in there?), but something catches her eye - the wingless fairy before, stepping up onto the edge of the fountain. it conveys something to her in its jingle-bell speech.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>she smiles. “ah,” she says, “i </span>
  <em>
    <span>see.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” then she looks to link. he shifts nervously, glancing back to the wolf who seems to be enjoying himself rolling around in the grass with the fairies. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“hero,” she says again, and he sort of wishes she’d stop, “i can’t help your clothes, but my child here can certainly be a help to you, as long as you help him.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“what.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>the wingless fairy clambers back onto his boot, then waves his hands in the air for a minute before link gets the message and picks him up in the palm of his hand. closer up, link can see the shag of brown hair falling over his bright green eyes. his nose is tiny and sticks up a lot at the end, and it makes link want to push it back down like the fairy is a little clay doll. linkle’s compass is white-hot against his chest, but it doesn’t hurt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>the fairy tilts his head, smiling. </span>
  <em>
    <span> i want to explore, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he says, </span>
  <em>
    <span>i used to travel a lot but i’ve been stuck here so long. can i come with you, for a little bit? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>link blinks down at him. his big, wide, sparkling eyes that make the heart twinge just a bit… </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“uh,” link says, “okay.” </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>almost as soon as they leave the forest, link informs the wolf and the fairy that they’re leaving for hateno in an hour. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>the wolf huffs, looking up to the sky. </span>
  <em>
    <span>sunset. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>but link’s itching to move, to find purah as he was told, to stop wasting time. his list has been rewritten in his mind: </span>
  <em>
    <span>find impa</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>directions </span>
  </em>
  <span>crossed off and followed by </span>
  <em>
    <span>purah, divine beasts, ganon. </span>
  </em>
  <span>as a footnote this time, </span>
  <em>
    <span>answers. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>the fairy is sat on top of his head, somehow keeping his balance. when link starts to head towards his horse instead of the inn door, he yanks on his hair until link finally hisses - </span>
  <em>
    <span>“fine!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>- and turns to the inn instead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(“hello, how can i - is that a wolf?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“dog.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“uh-uh. no. not allowed. out!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>the wolf sighs and curls up next to the horse. the horse seems strangely okay with this.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>link pouts on his bed. he hasn’t even taken his boots off (the innkeeper gives him a dirty look); he’s raring to go still, hands fidgeting for the shitty sword propped against the wall. the fairy sits on the nightstand, happily playing with something in his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>link glares at him. “thought you wanted to travel,” he signs forcefully, and the fairy sighs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>when he speaks, link simultaneously hears the words in his mind and the jingle-bells in his ears. </span>
  <em>
    <span>not if it kills us, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he says, </span>
  <em>
    <span>that wouldn’t be fun, i think. </span>
  </em>
  <span>then he makes a pained expression, staring off at the wall. </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh, no, i sound like time! </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“time?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>the fairy waves his hand. </span>
  <em>
    <span>friend, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he says, </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyway, we can leave in the morning. i just don’t want my chaperone to die, here. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>link huffs. “i’ll be fine.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>i don’t think you understand how dying works. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“done it before.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>the fairy stares at him a moment, eyes wide, and link thinks </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh, no, </span>
  </em>
  <span>because he’s not very good at this whole conversation thing, especially not without the wolf to whisper tips into his mind like he’s done at the stables and with travelers they passed on the road. but then the fairy starts to laugh - laughter like the bells on a cat’s collar as he doubles over himself, cheeks flushed red. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <em>
    <span>i missed- </span>
  </em>
  <span>he starts, then stops, grimaces, and pivots from whatever he was going to say to, </span>
  <em>
    <span>i missed jokes like that. </span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>HELLO yes i . yes this was supposed to also have warriors in it . YES IT WAS ALSO SUPPOSED TO HAVE WARRIORS IN IT shut up im incapable of writing more than like 3k words without feeling the inexplicable urge to post it immediately . i am extremely vain and need validation im sorry . anyway hello i hope u liked it please consider commenting if u did thank u xoxoxo . WARS NEXT CHAPTER MAYBE I THINK</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello!! thank you for reading, please leave a comment and let me know what u thought !! :) </p><p>next chapter ,,, twilight and sky ... da boyz aye </p><p>p.s. no i will never write anything about wild without in some way mentioning that one (1) piece of concept art of his sister in creating a champion. have you seen my Entire fic about it? please say no. its not good. dont read it. thakns</p></blockquote></div></div>
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